For far too long, people within communities as well as organisations have worked tirelessly to challenge hatred, intolerance and prejudice without any national recognition. We believe that this has to change and this is why we have partnered with the Community Security Trust, GALOP, Stonewall, the ‘No To Hate’ Campaign and Stop Hate UK. Collectively, we can make a difference in protecting the dignity and the integrity of victims of hate incidents and hate crimes.

The theme of the 2016 Annual National Hate Crime Awards is #UpstandersNotBystanders, and with the number of hate-crimes increasing across the UK and substantially post-Brexit, it is now more important than ever to celebrate, recognise and honour the people who have worked tirelessly to tackle hate crime nationally. They have also helped, with our police services, to make our country more safer.

The first annual National Hate Crime Awards will take place on November 17, 2016 at 18.00-21.00 in London. It is a chance to celebrate that is which is good within humanity and which shines through at times of adversity. The hashtag for the Awards ceremony will be #NHCA2016.

Nominations for the #NHCA2016 are now OPEN and we would be delighted if you could share this with your colleagues, peers and friends to nominate Upstanders to hate crimes who YOU think have made an outstanding contribution to countering hate crime. This could be through developing a hate crime project, volunteering to protect their local synagogue or washing walls of hate graffiti in their homes neighbourhood.

So, this is a real opportunity for you to make that difference and to value those unsung heroes that help to bind communities together.

We very much look forward to receiving your nominations, and let us celebrate those values that bind us.